creativenachos.com Blog

Original Page from Natasha Reilly’s Sketchbook Project 2012

How often do you find yourself reacting to something – a comment, a news article, a movie? Think about it. Now how often do you find yourself in action, moving forward, and initiating one of YOUR ideas – the ones that are born within you??

As children we are all about bringing our ideas to life. Life is a canvas on which we can create anything we can dream – truly anything and we don’t hold back. We want to see what the couch would look like in fluorescent marker colors – we test it. We want to see if we can make tidal waves in the bath – we are all over it. But somewhere along the line we are told to stop exploring and “just listen.” “Do what I say.” And often if asked why, the answer is, “Because I said so.” Enough times hearing that and that’s what we do. In adulthood we may make suggestion and contribute ideas at work but how often are they just variations on what we know works or will be accepted. The golden ideas that are born of exploration and action fall by the wayside.

YOU are filled with color. It’s just a fact. When we were created we were created with as much color and life on the outside as we are on the inside. We were given gifts that are distinctly our own – others may have similar ones BUT they are NOT what YOU have. So why sit on the sidelines simply taking in what others are doing as they explore life. Don’t spend your time reacting spend it in action!!

Create the MOST absurd thing you can think of – chances are it will inspire. BE that new style and sound you are seeking from the world. YOUR longing for it is really a longing for what’s within you, so bring it to life.

Don’t Spend Your Time Reacting Spend It In Action!! Let your colors burn bright like a raging bonfire. Let your dreams take shape and gallop across the canvas, the imagination, the heart, the Universe!

Let it loose! Don’t Spend Your Time Reacting Spend It In Action!!

Original Page from Natasha Reilly’s Sketchbook Project Submission 2012

It is hard to feel like shit. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about feeling good versus feeling like ass. If that were the case I would have to say that I think it is much harder to feel good about things than to feel bad. Feeling good takes work. I mean to feel good means to have a belief nay faith in you and that can be hard to foster. Yes that can be hard to foster but SOOOO worth it and YOU are worth it but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Right now, I’m just talking about feeling like you are not worthy of being here in this life and that…well hell that’s hard.

The other night I ran across a beautiful soul that was feeling this way and as a few other folks admitted that they felt the same way, I had to share. I’ve been there. I’ve questioned why I was here and whether or not the lives of my loved ones would be better without me in it. We all have times when we hurt the only thing that varies is the degree to which we hurt. I have hurt so bad that I have wanted others to know and understand my pain but for a long while I lacked the words to communicate the feelings. In addition, I felt bad and embarrassed for feeling bad – talk about adding insult to injury. When you live in that space, the weight is almost unbearable. It would be so much easier if we all felt it was ok to share anger, hurt and pain.

But what turned those feelings around for me was not found on a shrink’s couch, in the empty bottle or in focusing on what would be “good’ for others. I found it in me. I put pastels to a page and made scribbles like my four year old and fell in love with color. I took photos of colors I found in the moment and shared them. I started to write poetry again and play with words instead of thinking about how to “get it right”. And as I did all those dark feelings began to change. I started to realize that I have loads of color and all matter of fun words and crazy words and dark words in my soul that long to play altogether. Even my pain had something because to shareif I could listen long enough and then help it to transform into something more – like the caterpillar to the butterfly – though cliché – very true. It is painful to make such a BIG transition but so rewarding in the end. What if I did not share it all – all the emotions good and bad?? These are gifts I was given and what if I hid them from the world because I was more worried about the outside world’s reaction than the one within that shimmers more often than not? I would be losing out on the ultimate gorgeousness of life.

This was not something that happened over night – this transformation – but instead over a long period of time but nonetheless I have found a strength I was ignoring. I know I have something inside that no one else has and I want to share that. I know others have something inside that I don’t have and I want to connect with that. I know that I have the power transform my emotions so they do not control me but that I help them to grow to what they need to be.

This is what I told the woman who was feeling like she might want to erase herself. As I looked at her work that so often makes me smile I told her how much I would miss it were she to leave. I told her that though she did not really know me nor did I know her, she touched my life in a positive way and that was something I didn’t want to lose. I told her not to hide her feelings but instead move through them and pour them into every thing she could. The world needs her and the other folks who felt like they had nothing to share. The world even needs me. Huh…that was kind of huge right there. That moment I just shared with YOU…yeah that was kind of big. Expect more of those because …well, because I’ve got things inside worth hearing about and if I’m lucky you will share yours and we will connect on a level that makes us all love being alive – even on the bad days.

Color, write or draw – do something today JUST FOR YOU….share if you like or don’t it’s up to you but let YOU see a little of your beauty today…then hug yourself – that….that hug is from me.

Cartwheeling love – the kind that turns upside down things right again – from me to you. xo

January was the launch of my first ever newsletter YAY!!!! It’s so much fun to write and share but I wanted to add a special little something for my subscribers – a contest! That’s right I challenged my subscribers to write a love story in 30 words….yes only 30 words OR they could paint a painting using a limited number of colors. Then I would randomly pick 1 winner to win a brand new painting. I think it’s wild that almost everyone except for one entrant chose to write the story!

Well, as luck would have it, two names fell out when picked randomly from a hat – I’m old school and still prefer that approach to the random generator thingy. Well, I do not believe in coincidences; I believe things happen as they are supposed to so we have 2 winners!!! I’m SOOOOOO excited to give away 2 paintings to 2 winners – one from the US and the other from Australia. Talent runs rampant around the globe as you will see!!

Thank you to ALL of the folks who entered I LOVED your work and now drumroll please, the two stories that won are:

1. Floating upon euphoric clouds… rolling waves of lust, excitement, heartfelt longing, aching, craving emotions for a beautiful individual drawn into my heart and soul… two hearts as one… true love.
- Nate, Australia

2. 

Love Story

In awe
I stare down at vulnerability
Fat cheeks
Eyes rolled behind semi-closed lids
My full cream life giving milk becomes
A primordial bridge between
My womb and her world
- Suzy, United States

What I love most about these works – they are such different takes on love! That was the beauty of every entry – love appears to us in so many ways.

Thank you to you all and congratulations Nate and Suzy. YOU have both inspired me in ways you can never imagine!!

Leave a little love for these folks, they deserve it then tell someone you love them!

When we come into the world, we know in our heart that we are limitless. We see this in the way we learn to walk – we believe we can and no one can tell us otherwise. The same is true as we learn to talk and so on. We fall down, we make mistakes but we get up again and again in pursuit of our dream.  We are Soul Travelers on the Adventure of a lifetime.

However, somewhere along the line we are told that we “can’t” or “shouldn’t” do/think/say things. This limiting thought process stays with us as we grow until we become adults who believe that we “can’t” be the beautiful, vibrant, radiant soul that we are inside.  Somewhere we come to believe that it is more important to be liked, to make others happy than to be our true selves and share our true gifts with the world

I believe those limits – societal, familial and self-imposed – are simply false.  Over the last two years, I have worked to push every limit in my life and I continue to do so today. I have fallen and gotten back up more times than I can count and each time I am stronger and more willing to be me! It is fear of not being accepted, of looking foolish, etc. that keeps us from reaching our full potential.

Throughout this five-week limited enrollment course, we will strip away labels, limits, and inner barriers that have been created to keep us in this “safe” space that promotes absolutely no growth. Through mindful, creative exercises, you will challenge yourself to see beyond your current limits and put yourself in a position where you are free to truly live the life you dream of as the person you were always meant to be.

You will receive:

-        Guidance on how to break through barriers, surrender to your life and tap into your personal truth

-        Mindful exercises in art, writing, photography and more to incorporate into your daily life

-        Encouraging, inspiring videos

-        PDF’s  with information that you will refer to again and again

-        A key to a safe environment where you can share with like minded souls

-        Personal, focused attention from Natasha

If you choose to join me on this limitless road – and I sincerely hope you will – you will have opened a door to your truth and will be able to walk through it with the love, strength and support of soul travelers like you.

The cost of this workshop is $65 and it will begin on February 15^th, 2012. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Natasha@creativenachos.com

What do you think? Are you ready to see how bright you can shine, how limitless you can really be???

When is it exactly that we start to try to “fit in”? When is that first message sent that our eccentricities, quirks and gorgeous imperfections were not “right”, or “good enough” or “less than”? When do we start to hear that we need to try to fit in??

Why would we ever tell our children that?? It’s a lie and we buy into it when we are growing up but then we become adults who are trying to find that inner child we hid. OH! It seems like such a waste of time. We limit ourselves and we don’t even realize we are doing it after awhile. The idea that we can create our reality and our life seems to lie buried beneath the idea that we need to create things like everyone else. WHY?

I’m DONE trying to fit in. I am so flawed, imperfect, and quirky it’s nuts. For example, do you know I can’t stand the thought of touching wet wood so I can’t use wooden spoons when cooking? Or I can wiggle my ears so well I’d make you laugh?

Inside I might just be different shades of pink, purple and orange. I might be striped, sparkly, dancing, singing, quietly reading, drawing on cave walls, crying, laughing like a loon and more. I am guilty of laughing and crying at all the wrong times. I don’t fit anywhere and for the first time I LOVE that about me. Fit in? No way!! I was born to stand in alignment with my own imperfections! Celebrate your insides on the outside – celebrate YOU!

Class begins on February 15th, 2012

When we come into the world, we know in our heart that we are limitless. We see this in the way we learn to walk – we believe we can and no one can tell us otherwise. The same is true as we learn to talk and so on. We fall down, we make mistakes but we get up again and again in pursuit of our dream.  We are Soul Travelers on the Adventure of a lifetime.

However, somewhere along the line we are told that we “can’t” or “shouldn’t” do/think/say things. This limiting thought process stays with us as we grow until we become adults who believe that we “can’t” be the beautiful, vibrant, radiant soul that we are inside.  Somewhere we come to believe that it is more important to be liked, to make others happy than to be our true selves and share our true gifts with the world

I believe those limits – societal, familial and self-imposed – are simply false.  Over the last two years, I have worked to push every limit in my life and I continue to do so today. I have fallen and gotten back up more times than I can count and each time I am stronger and more willing to be me! It is fear of not being accepted, of looking foolish, etc. that keeps us from reaching our full potential.

Throughout this five-week limited enrollment course, we will strip away labels, limits, and inner barriers that have been created to keep us in this “safe” space that promotes absolutely no growth. Through mindful, creative exercises, you will challenge yourself to see beyond your current limits and put yourself in a position where you are free to truly live the life you dream of as the person you were always meant to be.

You will receive:

-        Guidance on how to break through barriers, surrender to your life and tap into your personal truth

-        Mindful exercises in art, writing, photography and more to incorporate into your daily life

-        Encouraging, inspiring videos

-        PDF’s  with information that you will refer to again and again

-        A key to a safe environment where you can share with like minded souls

-        Personal, focused attention from Natasha

If you choose to join me on this limitless road – and I sincerely hope you will – you will have opened a door to your truth and will be able to walk through it with the love, strength and support of soul travelers like you.

The cost of this workshop is $65 and it will begin on February 15^th, 2012. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Natasha@creativenachos.com

This e-course will go on sale on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012.

Oh the Stories You’ll Tell!

No two stories or the ways in which we tell those stories are alike. We all have interesting lives and we bring a distinctive perspective to all that we do and yet, how many times have you thought of sharing a story but stopped yourself? How often have you felt you had nothing to say?

We don’t celebrate ourselves or the moments that make up our lives nearly as much as we should and – as artists, writers, bloggers, crafters and creative folks making a presence online – it is especially important to do so. Getting your authentic voice out there and being truly proud of it takes courage. Whether you are writing in your professional life or your personal one, it helps to have someone cheering you on and providing the advice and encouragement you may need while working to make your dreams come true. Let me be that personal cheerleader.

“Oh the Stories You’ll Tell” is a 4 week workshop designed to recharge your storytelling and celebrate the true magic in all you do. We will tell stories in all sorts of ways from writing and art journaling to collage and video/photography. As we explore new and unusual ways to tell our tales, our vision of who we are and what we do will broaden allowing us to find unique ways to represent ourselves and our work in person and online.

Within this limited enrollment class, you will find exercises, thought-provoking prompts, inspiring pdf’s and funny videos. In addition, you will interact with members of the group and receive personal attention from Natasha. This course has been designed so that many of the activities will fit within the framework of daily life. In fact, the hope is that it allows all of us to be more present and fulfilled in our day to day lives. In the end, you will have a journal filled with memories of your storytelling journey that you can refer to anytime you feel as though you are losing your way.

If there is one thing I have learned as a writer and artist, it’s that we need to shake up routines, find new ways of looking at things, and find an inspiring and supportive community where we can share our ideas.

I hope you will join me on this journey. In the end, we will not only have found a way to stay true to our voice but we will celebrate it in ways that will enhance our personal and professional life.

The cost of this workshop is $55 and it will return on January 30th, 2012. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me: Natasha@creativeanchos.com.

Original Work by Natasha Reilly, Copyright 2012

Sometimes in order to feel whole or good within, we need to give away our love. You see we will never run out of it and the more we give the more we find within ourselves. So go ahead. Don’t be shy – share your love! The world needs it.

A beautiful artists friend of mine is sharing her love and passion in a new class, Partnering With the Spirit. It’s such a beautiful offering. Take a peek and see what her love might add to your life and your Wild Creative Heart.

I send you love.

Original Painting by Natasha Reilly Copyright 2012

I am losing myself. I am lost within my life. The things I’ve believed, the feelings I’ve had, the limits I’d accepted – everything is slipping away and a new landscape is being born. Like lava pouring from a volcano into the ocean, new land is being formed inside. It has not always felt good nor has it been pleasant but I feel excited and scared. I feel ready and prepared. Where will it take me I don’t know but on y Soul Traveler journey I’ve learned it’s time to surrender to the discomfort and the wandering so that I may find myself, so that I may grow and become the soul I was brought here to be.

In removing the negative stigma that surrounds “surrender” I find freedom. In surrendering I am finding deep, vibrant, soulful colors and new patterns that don’t conform to limits.

What does surrender feel like to you?

Original Painting by Natasha Reilly Copyright 2012

Intention.

When we begin a work of art with an intention it allows us to let go f the idea that has to be anything specific. It simply has to be something created with the feelings we have within. On my Soul Traveler journey I am learning about the power of intention. My intent when I began this painting was two-fold. I was thinking of someone specific and wanted to bring the nature to life. In addition, I wanted to play. I wanted my fingers to move across the canvas with the grace of an ocean wave on a warm summer day.

When we carry intentions in our hearts, we have the ability to discover a new depth we otherwise might not see.

Do you carry intentions in your heart and mind when you are creating/living this life?